1. Ica Stones

The Ica Stones are arguably the worst nightmare an archaeologist can dig out from the ground.

Since they emerged, the beautifully painted artifacts managed to divide the scientific community on a topic that hasn’t seen the light since the 19th century. The crazy Ica Stones are a bewildering kaleidoscope of drawings where dinosaurs co-exist with humans and modern technology.

Found in Peru in the 1960s, the stones seriously question the past of the planet as we know it. Is our species older than we thought? Did we overlook tens of millions of years of human history?

Creationists naturally welcomed the Ica Stones as the last piece of evidence that finally pushes Charles Darwin off the pedestal. For them, this is the ultimate proof the world is 6000 years old and that the dinosaurs perished after Noe’s flood.

What they fail to explain is the fact that the stones also depict complex surgeries and even people gazing through a telescope. What do you think?

2. Göbekli Tepe

“Gobekli Tepe changes everything!” That statement accompanied all the accounts of the incredible discovery made just a decade ago.

If we are to believe radiocarbon dating, Göbekli Tepe is the oldest temple in the history of humanity. So, what’s the problem with that? The answer will amaze.

12,000 years ago, an ancient population from southeastern Turkey got the technology and resources to erect an impressive sanctuary. At the same time, the rest of the world was struggling to make ends meet regarding food and shelter.

What gave them the competitive edge in the race to establish the first human civilization? Did they work harder than the rest? Did otherworldly creatures mentor them?

When mainstream science has a hard time explaining archeological artifacts, it is perfectly reasonable for alternative theories to step in. One thing is sure – we are far from putting the finger on the real cause behind the remarkable breakthrough at Gobekli Tepe.

3. Human-Neanderthal Hybrids

Not long ago, archaeologists were happy to go to sleep at night knowing that modern humans wiped the inferior Neanderthals out of existence.

A recent discovery made in a Romanian cave gave many of them nightmare material to last a lifetime. It seems that our less mannered cave cousins exit history in a rather surprising way, and left behind an unexpected gift.

Modern humans and the last of the Neanderthals bred, creating hybrid lineages we can trace to our modern times. How do we know that for sure? Below is the skull that offered scientists enough DNA material for a full analysis.

The results proved beyond doubt that forbidden love united individuals from two human species traditionally viewed as at war one against the other. On the other hand, we could call it rape.

One thing remains. Modern humans share a small percentage of the original Neanderthal DNA.

4. Klerksdorp Spheres

Ok, so we have out-of-place archeological artifacts going back to the time of dinosaurs. Can it get even better?

Apparently, yes. The Klerksdorp Spheres take us back 3 billion years into the past, to a time when the Earth barely cooled down to become a rocky planet.

Miners discovered the strange looking stones in South Africa, and the scientific community couldn’t stop talking about them. The photo is strong to suggest someone (something) other than natural geological processes crafted the stones.

Last time we checked Mother Nature was a lousy artist, especially when it comes to creating straight lines and regular patterns. There is no way those two parallel lines decorating the spheres occurred by accident.

That leaves with daunting explanations to contemplate. The least shocking would be God fooling around a bit before he left Earth at the hands of organic life. Nevertheless, you could picture some intergalactic travelers attending pottery class billions of years before we type this list. Amazing!

5. Radioactive Skeletons of India

“… a single projectile charged with all the power of the Universe. An incandescent column of smoke and flame as bright as the thousand suns.” The ancient Indian Chronicles tell the story of a conflict that wiped out millions. It could help modern-day archaeologists explain the sudden collapse of civilization at sites like Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro.

Obviously, the puzzle is not complete, and some vital pieces of information remain hidden. Who supported ancient feuds between city-states thousands of years ago? Texts mention sky chariots and final weapons, but they are not clear about the perpetrators. Were they Gods or intergalactic visitors testing their weapons on us?

Is human civilization cyclical? Are we close to another wipeout that will leave us scrambling after out Stone Age tools? Will someone else in the distant future dig up our contaminated remains and ask the same questions? Let’s hope not!

6. Nazca Lines

The Nazca Lines are a classic example of the things archeology has no chance of explaining.

If you consider local populations barely mastered the art of not starving to death, the Nazca lines have no reasons to exist. Although researchers rush from all directions trying to give these artifacts a sound and down-to-Earth purpose, we can’t avoid the most comfortable thinking pattern. The intricate design formed by the lines is observable only from up in the air.

Two conclusions emerge. Either ancient Peruvians learned how to build flying vehicles, or they wanted to greet visitors from the sky. Be them Gods or aliens, the second alternative is indeed mind-boggling.

Your mind faces a severe test while contemplating the photo above. Is that a classical alien, a stylized representation of the human body, or just an ancient equivalent of everyone’s favorite meme?

7. London Hammer

The London Hammer was close to rewriting geology books. What was a human-made hammer doing encased in rock formations dating back 400 million years ago?

Don’t let the name of the artifact fool you. It is was not found in the soil of the British capital, but inside an outcrop occurring near the small community of London, Texas. It gave people there a substantial reason to embrace even tighter the belief that the Yankees made up Evolutionism and all the other scientific nonsense.

One would say it’s easy to defuse this artifact as planted there on purpose by a hoaxer. However, you should consider the fact that geologists studied the case in depth and confirmed the oddity. The hammer stood captive, surrounded by rocks that typically require eons to form.

You will be amazed to know the hammer is now an exhibit in the local Creation Evidence Museum.

8. Baltic Sea Anomaly

The Baltic Sea Anomaly left many gasping for air and a decent explanation.

News of the strange artifact first appeared back in 2011, when a diving team named “Ocean X” (what better name for such an eerie discovery) stumbled upon what seems to be an artificial structure. Lying 70 m below the surface of the northern Baltic Sea, the anomaly opened a door for speculation and conspiracy theories.

In a world like ours, where Science strives to explain everything, such a bizarre occurrence shouldn’t exist. However, it does, making both the Swedish and the Finnish government sweat in anxiety and fear.

The 60-metre (200 ft) diameter circular rock formation lying on the sea floor can be almost anything. History buffs claim what we see is just a mechanism left there by the Nazi following WWII. Others chose to be more creative and already moved the story of Atlantis there.

Of course, the winners of “best speculative theory” are those who see the Baltic Sea Anomaly as a UFO ready to take off and complete its mysterious mission on Earth.

9. Prehistoric Skulls with Bullet Holes

Last time we checked, prehistoric hunters had nothing but sticks and stones to hunt big game or kill each other over the right to mate.

However, archeologists uncovered all over the world signs that we should rethink our understanding of warfare in the past. Both human and animal skulls emerged with circular shaped holes that seemed vaguely familiar.

Can you imagine the stupefaction of having the forensics confirm you hold in your hands a 125,000-year-old hominid skull with a bullet piercing through it? Years watching the “Twilight Zone” can’t prepare you for that!

Two theories work to explain these fascinating out-of-place artifacts. Either someone invested a massive amount of resources into crafting and planting evidence that fooled even the professionals, or we are dealing with a genuine enigma of the past.

Oh, and let’s also add the crazy theory where someone discovers time-traveling. How much would you pay for a unique chance of hunting down your grand-grand-grand-…-father Homo Erectus?

10. Iron Pillar of Delhi

When they were not busy exterminating each other in nuclear holocausts, the Indians developed other ways to puzzle future generations.

The Iron Pillar of Delhi was not found buried in the ground. Even so, it attracted the attention of archaeologists and ranks as one artifact that theoretically should not exist.

The monument does not impress in size or age. The quality of the material is what left metallurgists in agony. The high percentage of iron (99.9%) and the fact that it survived without visible signs of rust earned a place in myth for the Iron Pillar of Delhi.

Let’s get the facts straight from the start. The union between iron and atmospheric oxygen never lasts for too long. The two consume each other with fury. Chemistry tells us that the 7-meter tall pillar shouldn’t have survived intact until today. There must be some sorcery hidden inside.

11. Massive Stone Spheres of Bosnia

The massive stone spheres of Bosnia are a recent addition to the wonderful world of artifacts that defy conventional explanations.

Uncovered in 2016, it made Bosnians fantasize about having a formidable ancient civilization right under their feet. And we give them the right to have high hopes.

At least from the photos leaked on the Internet, the spheres appear too perfect to be the result of chance alone. We can even imagine the ancient sculptor taking its time to create the masterpieces, just before hiding them in the ground.

The spheres appear quite old. Forests developed on top of them, obliterating pages of history that might change everything.

12. Acambaro Figurines

Could you deny the fact that the above artifact depicts a man riding a Triceratops?

The Acambaro Figurines are testimony that the people of the past did not rely only on rock paintings to draw dinosaurs. No, they also shaped the clay to immortalize the beasts they feared and worshiped at the same time.

Call us crazy, but we find the evidence extremely convincing and coming from various corners of the world. The 33,000 Acambaro figurines started to see the surface in 1944 in the Mexican city of Acámbaro, and they sent historians back to the drawing boards.

Did some dinosaurs survive the extinction episode occurring 65 million years ago? If so, why are other sources silent about that?

13. Stone of the Pregnant Woman

Our understanding of ancient monuments often resumes at one question. How on Earth did they move those massive stones without professional assistance from modern engineering?

Ropes and makeshift cranes work to explain most monuments our ancestors left behind. However, no one dares to think about the monolith that lies on the site of Baalbek.

The Stone of the Pregnant Woman is a Roman monolith that outweighs all that has ever been quarried in the past. At 1,000 tons, it suddenly makes sense why people abandoned it in the quarry. Even brute force stands no chance at pushing this beast, not to mention daring to lift it in position.

The name derives from the myth that women touching the stone become pregnant on the spot. That’s probably just a clever scheme for them to avoid the arduous task of pulling the animal.

14. 300-Million-Year-Old Screw

The remains of a highly advanced lost civilization or, … the work of aliens.

There is no third option when you contemplate a screw held captive inside a rock formation going back 300 million years into the past. Apparently, those who are not yet ready to embrace the new paradigm came up with wacky solutions that make the mystery less potent.

According to skeptics, the screw is nothing but the fossil remain of a creature known as a crinoid. Such buggers were quite common in our planet’s oceans, and many of them died on the sea floor, accumulating layer upon layer of sediments on top.

Don’t hate us for preferring the theory with the sloppy alien engineer who drops the screw in the molten lava and goes for another, ignorant of the controversy it would later cause.

15. The Genetic Disk

Behold, the clever way in which the ancients stored information that currently overwhelms us.

You are probably familiar with scientists holding speeches and bringing along the hundreds of books that contain the recently documented human genome. Well, it seems we are light years away from the elegance and simplicity of our ancestors.

The so-called Genetic Disk is an artifact made of lydite measuring 22 cm in diameter. On its two faces, it refers to the cycle of life, from cell to living organism.

Now comes the million dollar question. How did people observe such delicate processes thousands of years ago and without the refined methods and instruments of our modern world? Was this a gift from an alien infirmary, a crude joke played on our innocence?

16. Ancient Egyptian Helicopters

Pyramids, mummies, golden pharaohs … Archeologists tend to look with pride at the ancient Egyptian civilization pretending they unearthed all there is to know.

A closer look at one of the numerous hieroglyphs revealed a startling out-of-place artifact. An ancient text from the Temple of Seti leaves little room for alternative explanations when it depicts a modern day helicopter. The mystery doesn’t end there.

Right alongside, we have two strange vehicles. Is it possible that ancient Egyptians were smarter and more industrious than we think? Picturing drones picking up and carrying the massive stones used to build the pyramids comes handy.

However, the Abydos temple helicopter fell into the hands of scientists advancing an even more shocking hypothesis – aliens came down from the skies in their copters. Lacking the technology of our modern selfie civilization, Egyptians had no other option but to leave testimony in stone.

17. Rat Kings

You will be relieved to know no rat dynasty ruled the world somewhere in our distant past. Even so, the last perplexing archeological discovery on the list is one to give your permanent goose bumps.

Rats are social animals that find safety in numbers. Although you probably did not have the honor of stumbling upon hundreds of rodents desecrating a corpse, you might imagine how easy it is for their long tails to intertwine and end up stuck.

A rat king forms when the poor creatures can’t free themselves. Not long ago, the preposterous and bizarre formation was just a speculation created by individuals eager to give weight to any piece of medieval text.

Let’s go back to the punch line. Why are rat kings artifacts that shouldn’t exist? Because they are a creepy and unsettling fragment of our reality, you want to ignore to feel comfortable at night in your bed.